Adventure photographer Chris Burkard trekked to an unlikely locale for his October surfing series: the Icelandic Coast. Burkard and his fellow nordic travelers endured the north atlantic waters to surf against a surreal backdrop of snow, ice and volcanic black sand. ‘Iceland’s dynamism is both friend and foe to the outdoor photographer’, says Burkard. ‘The extreme northern latitudes keep daylight and weather conditions in a state of constant flux. At any given moment, a break in the ever-present cloud cover can yield a spectacular scene.’

notes chris, “as a culture, surfing has always been rooted in the idea of going further and deeper and getting farther away.” adds surfer patrick millin, featured above, “it’s so rare in this day and age that you’re able to discover a new wave. these places are so unexplored.”

that said, even with the insulation of a neoprene wetsuit, “if you get flushed with water when you fall down, it’s like you’re getting electrocuted,” he continues. “the water is so cold it feels like fire. It strips your air away.”

"if you had to duck under consecutive waves you would get a crazy headache and it felt like my eye sockets were physically swelling to the point I thought they might swell my eyes shut."